And with so many salient partnerships budding, and so many still yet to happen, the IPO is a very rich icing on the cake. Investors will be eying Facebook's every move, and so far, they're all the right ones. I know that it's early to talk about the success of partnerships hardly yet solidified, but Facebook's track record says success is in the bag. Zuck and his team have accomplished so much already that the site could easily just ride the wave its built up. Instead, they're still pushing the boundaries.

From a best-selling novel and a well-reviewed Hollywood flick, in addition to, of course, the site itself, Facebook is embedding itself deeply in all facets of society. It's definitely not going to plateau on users any time soon, with more than 50% growth over the past year, a mind-numbing number when you consider the already-massive base of users it had to grow from. It's one thing to have 10 members, get another 10, and claim a doubling growth rate - but to start with hundreds of millions?

There won't be an individual over the age of eight in North America who won't know the word "Facebook" in a few years. It's yet to be determined if this is a good or bad thing.

Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.
Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.
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Knowlton Thomas

Knowlton is the managing editor of Techvibes.
Based in Vancouver, Knowlton has been published in national publications and has also appeared on television and radio.
Previously he was an editor for New Westminster weekly The Other Press and served on its board of directors.
When not working, Knowlton enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and martial arts.
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